Woman found dead amid toxic gas leak at Cleethorpes flat
A WOMAN was found dead after a suspected carbon monoxide leak at a flat in Cleethorpes.
Emergency services were called to an address on Barcroft Street after reports of a leak at about 6pm on Wednesday, as reported.
A woman, believed to be aged in her 50s and renting a ground-floor flat at the property, was found dead at the scene. A man living in the flat above escaped unharmed.
Today, as an investigation is launched to find the cause, Humberside Fire and Rescue has called on residents to protect themselves against the silent killer by installing a life-saving carbon monoxide detector in their homes.
A service spokesman said: "On arrival, crews were informed that a carbon monoxide alarm was sounding in one of a row of terraced houses.
"Specialist officers with gas detection equipment confirmed that high levels of the gas were present in one of the properties and quickly began investigation and evacuation of the surrounding houses.
"One house had been converted into flats, and a man was led to safety from the first floor. Sadly a woman, believed to be in her fifties, was found dead in the ground floor flat."
A spokesperson for Humberside Police added: "Occupants of the neighbouring properties were taken to Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital for treatment and they have now been discharged.
"Police are currently working with Humberside Fire and Rescue to establish the exact cause of the incident."
A shocked neighbour first raised the alarm after the carbon monoxide detector in her house was activated.
The 23-year-old, who did not wish to be named, credited the device with saving herself and her partner's lives.
"It is absolutely horrible to know that the lady has died," she said.
"She was very quiet and she kept herself to herself. We never saw her or heard from her that often. It is just so sad.
"It has shaken us both up – but the fire brigade said that if we didn't have an alarm, we could have died as well.
"The firefighters also managed to get a man who lived in the flat out safely so the alarm has potentially saved three lives.
"Because you can't smell it or taste it, we would not have otherwise known that the carbon monoxide was seeping through to our house – that is very scary.
"We've always had an alarm but never thought of it as 'a must', but it has saved me and my partner's life. I feel like we have had a lucky escape and I'm so grateful that we had an alarm in our house.
"It has shown to me the importance of having one in your home – everyone needs to have one, it is absolutely crucial."
Find out more
Anyone wishing to request free safety advice can contact Humberside Fire and Rescue Service on 0300 303 8242 or visit www.humbersidefire.gov.uk
8 Comments
by getanalarm1
Friday, February 03 2012, 8:42PM
“Let us all please not miss the point here. Monoxide gas is a silent killer, it has no smell. Buy an alarm or ask your landlord for one if rented, either way every house needs one just as much as a smoke detector. I can now speak from very personal experience.
Off topic but to assist in keeping focus, I believe that the cause of the accident was a portable heater in this household and not actually running off the gas main. BUT AGAIN, I cannot stress enough to anyone reading in, please please please buy an alarm - especially if you are in a terraced as neighbours propeties also put you at risk.”
by flapper2011
Friday, February 03 2012, 7:14PM
“Hedgewood
Your choice of being a landlord, 9 houses, you can hardly be hard up then can you! Shut up bleating, if it's not viable the get out of it and then maybe you can stop complaining!”
by parryman
Friday, February 03 2012, 2:10PM
“our thoughts are with ths lady and her family and freinds over this sad incdent.perhaps the local authority should up there game here and start checkng out rented accomodaton .i feel that landlords are keen to collect there rents and housing beneft cheques from tennants.but im sure it is a lawfull duty indeed to keep these properties in a good state of repair.some rented properties have seen have a lot to be desired on landlord maintenence. perhaps it is about time that councils before handing out housing benefit payments on properties they should inspect them to see if the properties are being maintained and the rent is justifed. dont tar all landlords with the same brush i have met many good ones .also at times the destruction of the property might be caused by the tennant.but in this case a sad event must take place im sure nvestigations will be carried out if ths ladys lfe was lost through negilgence of bad maintenence the law must deal with this in a most severe way.”
by mclanemcbane
Friday, February 03 2012, 1:59PM
“Re Hedgewood - Im finding it hard to symperthise with you im afraid. You can afford to service 9 boilers in properties owned by yourself yet you cannot afford to service your own!
It's like me saying that i lease 9 new cars out but i can only afford a Vauxhall Nova.
Can you see my point here?”
by 1numbnuts
Friday, February 03 2012, 1:56PM
“and another reason landlords have gas safety checks is if they havent got the certificate stating all appliances are safe local council wont pay housing benifit but the landlord stating his boiler in his own home had a gas leak and after the gas fitter had turned of the boiler and had gone he turned the boiler back on thinks its best not to rent from him”
by Hedgewood
Friday, February 03 2012, 12:52PM
“I am a property landlord, I have 9 boilers tested every year, to go with the property insurance & mortgages
The 10th boiler is in my house, it is the oldest, it never gets tested. just before Christmas as I called out my plumber to a smell of gas, My plumber condemned it & turned it off, he could not find the source of the smell, as it has an asbestos flue, needless to say I turned it on again the following day, I can't afford a new boiler as all of my money goes on looking after the needs of tenants, I cant remember the last time my bank account was in the black, & am owed thousands from tenants, past & present
I have smoke detectors in all of my properties, but not carbon monoxide, I do have a carbon monoxide detector in my house, as it was cheaper than a new boiler
Maybe if we didn't have to pay £90 a property for an energy performance certificates I could afford to buy some
No doubt they will be the next mandatory expense for landlords, but if you value your life at more than £15 why not go out now & buy one”
by beardsley2
Friday, February 03 2012, 10:57AM
“Carbon monoxide gas release is virtually always the result of a faulty gas appliance or flue system. Landlords are required, by Law, to have gas appliances Safety checked on an annual basis by a qualified gas safety engineer and a certificate issued. For the landlord this can be quite costly. I don't know the specific arrangements here, but would advise other tennants to check that a certificate exists for their own rented property.”
by flapper2011
Friday, February 03 2012, 10:50AM
“This is aboslutely terrible, poor poor lady! Just a thought, if the flat was rented I thought it was the landlords responsibity to install smoke detectors is this the same for minoxide ones. And for maintaincace and service of gas boilers and fires????? Or am I mistaken!”